Amtrak ridership set record in March

Railroad also reports passenger increase from a year earlier

Published 7:01 pm, Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Amtrak said Tuesday its ridership in the first half of its 2013 fiscal year was up 0.9 percent from a year earlier, and that ridership in March set an all-time record. October, December and January also set individual monthly records, the passenger railroad said.

Much of the growth was on routes through the Capital Region. The Ethan Allen service between New York City and Rutland, Vt., via Albany-Rensselaer was up 2.7 percent, while ridership on the line between Albany, Niagara Falls and Toronto was up 3.4 percent. Ridership on the Adirondack climbed 2.6 percent, but ridership on the route between Albany and New York City fell 0.8 percent. The Lake Shore Limited, serving Chicago, Boston and New York City via Albany, also was down 0.8 percent.

Amtrak's president and CEO, Joseph Boardman, said the continuing growth "reinforces the need for dedicated, multiyear federal operating and capital funding to support existing intercity passenger rail services and the development of new ones."

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And a recent Brookings Institution study said that passenger rail was the fastest growing mode of travel, although trains, with a limited network, still carry a relatively small share of overall intercity passenger traffic.